Your group has been traveling along the Maddox Trail for nearly a week now. The five of you have been together since meeting in Goggle Rock, a small Gnomish community and well-respected rest stop. The Maddox trail continued from there through the Faust Woods and finally, after a few mishaps and side adventures, emerges upon a scene of rolling green hills and scattered farm houses and pasteurs seperated by low stone walls.

During your trials upon the Maddox Trail you had encountered a band of frightened farmers, fleeing Halea's Reach claiming invasion by multi-armed red demons. They were quick to go on their way, working towards Goggle Rock at a fast pace, but you did get that little information from them.

As you crest the first green hillock, you can see what could only be The Jackal's tower off in the distance. A slender spiraling structure that glitters like alabaster in the setting sun, it looks odd, as if it wasn't quite there but is slowly solidifying. Might be a trick of the light and the odd materials.

A scream pierces the quiet evening air, followed by others, and the sounds of general panic and chaos ensue. Removing your eyes from the glittering tower, looking towards the alarming sounds further down the road, you catch a glimpse of five red-scaled, fearsome humanoids, each with four arms. They are racing towards a farmhouse while the panicked country folk run for the relative safety of their structures.

"Either they have rather curious folk customs here and this is a part of the celebrations, or the frightful farmers were indeed scared by these creatures."Alejandro took a closer look - were those four-armed overgrown kobolds? Mutated lizardmen? Half-dragon naga-kin?

Gagaric had no illusions on how this would likely play out. His impulsive employer had pulled him down similar paths before.He simply sighed, slung his shield from his shoulder, readied his lance and followed the pair.

The frightened farmers run for their dwellings, three of them are nearly there. It seems a fourth, a young boy, has fallen in his escape attempt. There is one fearsome red-scaled being heading for him, and three others chasing after the fleeing farm hands, while the fifth prepares to fire his twin longbows at the approaching threats... You.

<OOC - To answer questions: There is very little but green grass and low walls for cover, unless you are looking to flee back into the forest. The bow-wielding creature is 30 feet from the one assaulting the child, with the others roughly 10 more feet to the left. We have started initiative, as rolled in this post - http://strolen.com/guild/index.php/topic,5595.msg70147.html#new Please check there for OOC and basically the numbers behind the game. I will post the Monsters' actions once Elrim has gone. /OOC>

His stout but swift feet carrying him ahead of his comrades, Elrimm spotted the boy and made straight for his pursuer. His jaw set in a tight grimace, he leapt upon the creature to grapple it. As a passing thought, it occurred to the monk that Kyn might have done well to bless dwarves with an extra set of limbs as this one had, but he wasn't about to question the wisdom of the gods.

<Closing the extra 40' between Elrimm and the bandits, then attempting to grapple the one heading for the boy>

As Elrim swiftly bats the creatures arms out of the way of the child, he moves to put it into a grapple. Only to find the creature trying the same thing to him. The double bow wielding monster unleashes two arrow, aimed for those incoming on horses, Alejandro and Galgaric.

Of the three beings chasing farm hands, two start to slowly disappear. Fading out of your reality. While the third moves to capture the fallen boy before he can stand and run.

Elrim spots a keen opportunity to strike the incoming beast.

<OOC Elrim is free to make an Opportunity Attack if he wants to (Let me know and I'll roll it), Alejandro and Erika are up /OOC>

Alejandro felt an arrow graze his face, leaving a shallow scratch behind - but cared little.The behavior of the beasts was curious - to attack, only to fade? Unless - they wished to capture, and teleported away with their prey!Their base of operations was what interested him - such strange creatures likely came out of a strange place. Alejandro loved strange places.What a find!

Of course, unless his friends managed to beat the attackers into a bloody pulp before they could speak, or those made a hasty getaway.

With a gesture, he urged Gagaric to assist with the boy's rescue, and prompted Erica to aid Elrim.

He had another plan.

In a rather leisurely way, no weapon drawn, he rode up to the archer. The shadow steed was steady, the ride smooth, and Alejandro's smile quite bright."Hello there, buddy, we must have misunderstood each other - I wish to be your friend!"

The onlooker would notice the air between the beast and the scholar being charged with magic as he reached out to Charm Monster.

(OOC: the critter is not threatened by any of us, and him attacking is not sufficient to provide a plus +5 bonus to resist charm. Will DC 20, por favor)

Erica was far less concerned with catching any one alive - they were raiders, and dead raiders were the kind she preferred. Ten feet of dancing steel erupted from her gauntlets, bathed in the fury of the storm, to tear into Elrim's foe.

The monstrous archer, lowers his bows and regards Alejandro with a slightly slanted head and slowly moving mandibles, dropping with slime. Meanwhile, Erika leaves a gash across the back of the one battling Elrim, and Galgaric dismounts coming in to knock the kidnapper with his shield.

"No need to run here, Grendo! This is our friend now - try to settle the other two!"Shaking his head, he turned to his newfound best pal. "Some people can't tell who's on their side. Some don't really care. Mercenaries!" A sigh full of pathos escaped his lips, and Alejandro congratulated himself on his acting.

"Listen, friend: I need you to go and sit under that tree. There's some flowers that need to be examined in great detail, if you'd be so kind. I'll come to join you, and we can have lunch later, okay?"The scholar pointed to a stout apple tree away from the skirmish and the village. "That one, yes."

Logged

"Captain, the buttocks are moving from the pink into the red and purple spectrum! We cannot maintain this rate of spanking any longer!"

The three fleeing farmers manage to make it into a nearby building. A women who appears to have been the young boy's mother was last to enter, she was dragged forcefully inside by the other man and woman, as she tried to run after her son. She is clearly in hysterics as they bar the door against the monsters, leaving the fallen child's fate up to our heroic interlopers.

The monster Alejandro charmed seems to be fully ensnared by the spell and quite willing to leave the battle and examine flowers in the shade of an apple tree.

<OOC: Top of the round. Elrim is up, followed by the red-skinned demonic foes. /OOC>

Elrim slings two punches at the creature, landing a solid blow. He twisted just right to make it a punch that would temporarily cripple most men, but not this creature. It retaliated with a flurry of rending claws and an unsuspected bite, two of the claws left marks in Elrim's flesh and the bite sent a poison into his system. He was lucky to resist it, but it wasn't anything his body wasn't prepared for.

Galgaric, after bashing the creature with his shield, found himself being attacked by three short swords. The boy on the ground was clawed and grabbed, as well as bitten, and is now seemingly unconscious.

Of the other monsters, the two to the left have become even more indistinct and are rapidly fading away, while the final one walks away from the melee in order to go inspect some flowers.

Alejandro waved a short goodbye to his new friend, then rode towards the fight. He applauded himself for teaming up with Erika - back when he could not call forth the might of her mistress, he rode mundane horses, and they could not compare.

Positioning himself close to the rampaging beasts, he reached into the netherworld and called forth wild fae of the wind, translucent and capricious, which streaked towards the ruddy assailants, holding fast their arms, tripping their legs and distracting them through frenetic slaps to the face.

OOC: casting Slow on the two baddies battling my pals. DC 18 Will save each, if they fail they are staggered and can make but a standard action or move action per round (no multiple attacks, yay!)

"Picking on the little ones, villain?" Erica chided the beast, then tore into it with her blades, lightning striking from thin air whenever the divine steel connected with her foe.

OOC: Power attack ON, 4x Claw +12, 1d6+12 slashing +2d6 lightning (10ft reach); as she can move freely, not being threatened by the critter, she will position herself to make use of the flanking bonus and give Elrim one too.

« Last Edit: June 27, 2011, 08:12:34 AM by EchoMirage »

Logged

"Captain, the buttocks are moving from the pink into the red and purple spectrum! We cannot maintain this rate of spanking any longer!"

Cursing loudly, Gagaric tossed his shield aside now that the boy was not in the creature's grasp. He reached over his shoulder for his greatsword and brought it down from its sheath upon the red creature.

The slowing chill of Alejandro's spell nearly captured one of them, but both managed to resist its effects. It didn't see to matter much, as Erika shredded the foe on Elrim with blades and lightning. The spell of burnt ozone and foul, charred meat spreads through the air, as Galgaric brings a mighty overhand chop into the shoulder of the red monstrosity trying to steal away with the boy.

The farmers can be heard gasping and yelling in shock during parts of the battled, assumed to be watching through the cracks of a shutter. They appear to be safe for now.

Grendo is just now reaching the fight, he stubby legs carrying him and his axe towards saving the child.

Grendo nervously watches Gagaric swing his sword. Reluctantly, Grendo moves as fast as he can towards the nearest creature that is not charmed. He swings his heavy ax with all his might trying to slay the beast.